Recordings.

Beastie Boys The Sounds of Science (Grand Royal...

December 19, 1999|By Greg Kot

Beastie Boys

The Sounds of Science (Grand Royal)

"Aahh to be young, drunk and stupid," reminisces Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz of his Beastie Boys' youth. "A joke that went too far," writes Adam "MCA" Yauch, practically apologizing for the group's biggest hit, "Fight for Your Right." On this two-CD anthology of their 18-year career, the Beastie Boys go out of their way in both the liner notes and the programming to de-emphasize their early legacy as chroniclers of beer-bongs-groupies excess. It was as role models for the Limp Bizkit/Kid Rock rap-rock generation that the Boys sold the most records, but the pillaging brats who rode on "Paul Revere" are barely acknowledged, replaced by the sober hip-hop philosophers found on latter-day tracks such as the new single "Alive": "Don't smoke cheeba/Can't stand crack." Besides distorting the group's history, "The Sounds of Science" breezes over key albums such as "Paul's Boutique" in favor of more than a dozen B-sides, unreleased tracks and rarities. Many of these forays into hard-core punk, country and Tropicalia come off as novelties. The Beastie Boys are one of hip-hop's best bands, but those looking for a definitive overview won't find it here.